Embrace the Flame
by GeminiMercedes
Summary: In which Blaze puts a new spin on "party punch" and realizes control doesn't always help the soul. SilverXBlaze (Silvaze) and implied KnucklesXRouge (Knuxouge)! ONE-SHOT! Please R&R!


**Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but life has been really...distracting for me. I've been trying to get myself together so I can give more frequent updates but I really don't know if I can promise anything at this point. I'm really sorry about that, and I hope this one-shot makes up for some of it. I've been watching Sonic game play-throughs on Youtube and if you've followed any of my stories before, you know I have a special place in my heart for Blaze! Hope you like this one and if you guys don't mind, please send some positive and productive thoughts my way. I could really use them right now.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

/

Blaze had always considered herself to be a patient and understanding cat. There was a time when she had been headstrong, blunt, and even arrogant, but spending time with Sonic's crew had tempered her.

To an _extent_.

Blaze would always have a fire within her. A fire that, while dormant, always had the ability to get her point across when words or passive aggressive actions failed. She didn't like to use it, of course. But it was a useful and at times, necessary tool to elucidate a message. Nowadays, she rarely felt the need to call on it. Even when Shadow got snippy with her or Amy tried to meddle in her personal affairs, Blaze always found a way to avoid using the power (of the flame) she'd received upon birth.

But some situations called on her power before she had the chance to reel it back in.

It started with a special something arriving in her mailbox. Her invite to Sonic's nineteenth birthday party, reminding her that the event was taking place that night. She was used to that though. News of Sonic doing pretty much _anything_ spread like wildfire, so giving advance notice to parties or get togethers usually resulted in a fair bit of uninvited "guests".

Blaze had already purchased a gift, a blue and red ring on a gold chain that she was sure would match the hero's dynamic outfit colours. She'd even picked up a black dress during a day of retail therapy with Rouge to wear for the night. Grabbing a pair of black pumps before she ran to the bathroom to shower, Blaze was almost sure she was in for a good, if not interesting, night. She was excited to Sonic, who was usually out saving the world, and his friends always made for good company. Her good friends, Cream and Marine, would be there and she was sure Rouge would make an appearance as well. Silver would be there too, having just returned from his China work-study trip but she wasn't as excited about that. They'd both promised to write before he left, but her life hadn't left any room for that. Working a waitress gig with Rouge while trying to get through college was exhausting, and she barely had time to sleep let alone write. To make matters worse, she'd failed to speak to him since he'd returned last week. Rouge had told her that her "loverboy" wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but after reassuring the bat that the two were just friends, Blaze still felt guilty.

She planned to apologize at the party, knowing there was no way Silver wouldn't be at a party Sonic was hosting.

Unfortunately, Silver wasn't the only one attracted to Sonic's parties.

She'd only just walked in when she noticed Sally Acorn standing by the refreshment table. That wasn't enough to set her off though, Sally was irrelevant in the greater scheme of things. The squirrel usually arrived late to parties with a large entourage that had the tendency to pick fights with the other guests. Blaze never stayed long enough to see said fights, but Rouge always gave her the run down the next day. In any case, _she_ wasn't trying to fight Sally, so she refocused on her efforts to find the grey hedgehog.

After giving her cardigan to the coat check at the front of the house, Blaze stepped onto the dance floor and began searching for a familiar face. She'd only looked for about a minute before she noticed someone else at the refreshment table with Sally. Cream the Rabbit was filling a red cup with the pink beverage floating inside a glass bowl on the table. Sally seemed to be watching her just as intently as Blaze was, and it raised the hairs on the back of the cat's neck. She had to move.

But there were too many dancing guests (some of which were already drunk, even though Sonic swore his parties were family friendly) in between her and the table. She trying to 'gently' shove a drunk partygoer out of her way, but they were quickly replaced by another individual drinking and dancing to the background music.

"Excuse me!" Blaze said, trying to be audible over the top forty music. But as she maneuvered around her final obstacle, she couldn't pull Cream away in time to stop Sally from knocking the rabbit's drink out of her hand.

"Eeek!" Cream squealed as the pink beverage stained the front of her white dress. Blaze could already see tears forming at the corners of the rabbit's bright eyes. She could feel the flame in her gut at this point, but she tried to suppress it.

"Oops," Sally replied, her voice drenched in sarcasm. "Actually, all that plain old thing needed was a splash of color. You should thank me." She said with a laugh. Blaze balled her fists. The music was getting louder, and so was the flame burning in her chest.

Cream was staring at the ground, and Blaze could feel her heart breaking as she watched the rabbit try to dab her dress with a napkin. She knew it must have taken a lot of courage for Cream to come to such a loud and crowded event. The rabbit was only fifteen, but she fit in because of her kind and carefree outlook on life. To try and hurt someone so young and innocent was unforgivable in Blaze's eyes. There was no way she was letting Sally get away with teasing her friend.

"Excuse me…" Blaze yelled for what must have been the tenth time that night. Sally turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want, _kitty_?" Sally asked, taking a sip from her own red cup.

The flame was in her head at this point, but Blaze tried to remain in control.

"Apologize." She stated more than asked. She could feel Cream's eyes on her, but she kept her gaze locked with Sally's. The squirrel tilted her head to the side and smirked.

"What was that?" She asked. Blaze bit her tongue.

"You heard me, apologize to Cream." She growled. Cream gasped and Sally's eyes widened for about a second. However, she regained her composure and leaned in towards Blaze.

"And what are you going to do if I don't, _kitty_?" She asked slowly, sticking out her tongue.

The fire had taken control and even Blaze, with all her years of training, couldn't stop what happened next.

Sally's drink was knocked out of her hand, the liquid spilling onto her see-through top. But before the squirrel could react, ambers had engulfed Blaze's gloved fist and the cat pulled back before punching Sally square in the jaw.

There was a scream and a crash as the squirrel flew through the refreshment table. Everything after that was mostly a blur. The music stopped, and various screams (and cheers) erupted as Sally got up from under the food platters and tried to tackle Blaze. Unfortunately for the squirrel, Sonic rushed over and managed to hold her back. Blaze felt her fist heat up again and moved forward to attack when she was pulled back and into the crowd. She tried to pull away, but the individual holding her was using something to guide her body back.

It was only when she saw her arm flash a light teal color that she knew who was taking her out of the party. She heard the front door open and allowed herself to be walked out. Shaking her arm to remove any stray embers, she sighed and turned to the one individual she had been looking for the whole time. It was getting chilly outside and she'd left her cardigan at coat check, but she was too heated to care.

"A-are you okay, Blaze?" Silver asked, his tone full of concern. Blaze didn't actually have an answer to that question. Her breathing was still erratic and the last few minutes were still a hazy blur. The only thing she knew for sure was that she'd punched Sally because her knuckles were still throbbing from the impact.

"I-I…" She stuttered, trying not make contact with the hedgehog in front of her. This was proving to be difficult as Silver had cleaned up quite nicely. He was wearing a teal dress shirt with grey jeans and his signature white boots. He had on a gold wristwatch with a diamond stud earring in his left lobe. China had clearly been good for his fashion sense.

"You know, I knew you had that in you but wow! You knocked her all the way out." Silver said with a laugh. Blaze shook her head and sighed.

"She was bothering Cream and then she tried to taunt me. I don't know why I couldn't keep my composure." She explained.

"I figured as much," Silver replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't even know why Sonic invited her."

"Me neither. From what Rouge tells me, she always brings some kind of drama. We don't need anymore of that." Blaze said, rubbing her arm.

Even though they were supposed to be close friends, the conversation felt awkward. The Sally issue was important, but it was really just a placeholder for the conversation the two really needed to have. Blaze sighed as her arm began to cool. She'd already taken the initiative once tonight…

"S-so, how was your trip?" She asked slowly, trying her best to make eye contact with her best friend. Silver's eyes widened when he realized she was looking at him. He laughed nervously and shook his head.

"Uh, it was really good actually," He replied with a smile, his cheeks turning a light pink color which Blaze could only equate to the chilly evening.

"I learned a lot about the culture and I got so much work done. I really needed a getaway you know?" He continued. A smile tugged at Blaze's lips. If there was one thing that always made her happy, it was seeing the grey hedgehog in front of her get excited. No matter how old Silver got, the child inside of him always seemed to come out when he was excited about something. She hated to admit it, but that youthful energy always had the ability to cheer her up.

She opened her mouth to reply, but he beat her to the punch (A/N: No pun intended!).

"It was lonely though," He started. At this point, the flame was gone but so was the youthful energy.

"Sonic wrote me once or twice, Tails and Marine did too." Silver continued with a sigh. He was staring at the ground, refusing to meet her stare.

"But...but I would loved to hear from you." He admitted, looking up to match her stare.

Blaze could feel the flame rising in her stomach again, but it was a different this time. There was embarrassment in it, guilt, and dare she say it, compassion for the hedgehog in front of her. If she'd really wanted to, she could have sent him a letter. She had worked hard in his absence, yes, but an extra minute during a work break or her daily commute would have been all the time she needed to draft something up.

"Rouge told me how busy you were while I was gone though, so I completely understand." He added quickly, as if he didn't want to offend her with his admission. It was sweet of him to say, but it didn't change how bad she felt.

"I'm sorry, Silver. Things were hectic while you were gone, but I should have tried. I missed you too." She replied, rubbing her arm a little faster than before. Silver waited for her to continue, but she had to take a deep breathe before she did.

"I know it may take some time for you to forgive me for that, and I completely understand…" She trailed off, hoping that would not be the case.

"N-no, of course not. I forgive you, Blaze. I know you would've if you could've." Silver replied, giving her his trademark grin. She tilted her head to the side when she noticed how red his face was getting.

"Um, Silver, are you alright? Your face is getting awfully red…" She explained, taking a step towards him. Silver's eyes immediately widened and he covered his face with his hands before she could get close enough.

"I'm uh fine!" He said, his voice muffled from under his palms. Blaze crossed her arms.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-you left your coat inside right? I left mine too." He said quickly, walking backwards towards the door.

"I'll go get them and drop you home!" He squeaked out before racing inside.

Blaze blinked before she rolled her eyes and smiled. Clearly Rouge hadn't been entirely wrong when she'd started referring to Silver as "loverboy". It was nice to have a friend like him, someone who really cared and wanted to see her happy. That was someone she could stand behind, someone that she could…

"Here you go!" She'd zoned out and missed him reappearing in the doorway. He had already put his grey bubble vest on when he walked towards her with her black cardigan in hand.

"Thanks, Silver." She said with a smile, reaching out to grab it. The hedgehog stopped just out of her reach and looked down at the ground.

"Um, Silver?"

"May I?" He asked, looking up at her earnestly. Blaze blinked as she realized what he meant. Nodding slowly, she watched as he walked over and helped her put her cardigan on. They didn't usually get this close to each other, even when they hung out. Surprisingly he was wearing a sweet smelling cologne, and when he let out a breath he'd been holding in, she could smell the spearmint gum that he must have been chewing before the party.

"There," He said with a smile. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight. A-and every night, of course!" His courage left as quickly as it had arrived, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

The flame was everywhere now, but she could handle it. It was welcoming, inviting, and made her feel like she was on top of the world. She reached towards him, mentally asking herself how such a bad night could have turned out so great.

"Silver, I…" But the moment came as fast as it went when Cream burst through the front door, Rouge in tow. Blaze could hear Silver take a step back, and she followed suit before the rabbit noticed her.

"B-blaze?!" Cream yelled, stopping momentarily before running into the cat's arms.

"Cream, are you okay?' Blaze asked, returning the hug while ensuring she didn't accidentally burn the rabbit.

"She'll be fine but that squirrel might need to see a doctor." Rouge replied with a smirk. When she realized both Silver and Blaze were giving her a look of panic, the bat shook her head and laughed.

"Don't worry, Sonic persuaded her to see an ice pack instead. He saw what she did and he was not impressed in the slightest." Rouge explained, closing the door before walking towards them.

"I think that's enough fun for Cream tonight though, I'm going to take her home and then head to Knuckles' house." She finished, reaching into her purse to find her keys.

"Knuckles didn't come?" Silver asked.

"No, he's been under the weather. I promised to bring him some leftovers from the party though." Rouge replied, pulling out a plastic bag from behind her back.

"Plus I can't wait to tell him what a mean right hook you have," She continued, tapping Blaze on the shoulder. "You two should totally spar sometime."

"I don't know about that…" Blaze replied, shaking her head.

"Thank you so much, Blaze. I'm sorry you had to do that." Cream said, pulling back slightly to look up at her friend.

"No problem, Cream. You didn't deserve that, and hopefully she'll think twice before ruining someone's outfit as a joke. But you look great regardless." Blaze said with a smile.

"Yeah, you look like a princess tonight. Don't let the evil stepsisters get you down." Silver added with a wink.

"Exactly, you definitely gave me a run for my money. You'll have to tell me where you got that dress." Rouge said, smiling at the rabbit.

"T-thank you everyone!" Cream replied, covering her face to hide her blush.

"Let's get you home." Rouge said, nodding at Blaze and Silver.

"I can drop her off, Rouge." Silver said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Rouge replied. "It's really not a problem."

"Yeah I know, but I'm already dropping Blaze off and I'm sure Knuckles needs you. He can't do much on his own...don't tell him I said that." Silver explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

Blaze rolled her eyes as Rouge let out a hearty laugh.

"I think I could get used to you, _loverboy_. Thanks a bunch. I'll tell him you guys said hi." Rouge said as she walked towards her car.

"Loverboy?" Silver said, turning towards Blaze.

Making sure Cream was still looking elsewhere, Blaze leaned over and kissed his cheek. The silver hedgehog froze as she made contact, but as she pulled away she could tell he was trying his best to keep his composure.

"Let's get going." Blaze said with a smile as she grabbed both Cream and Silver's hands.

"Yes, thank you so much Mr. Silver." Cream added, completely oblivious to what had just taken place.

"R-right." Silver coughed out as he used his other hand to find his keys.

Blaze smiled as they walked through the crowded driveway towards Silver's car. Who'd have thought a fight with Sally Acorn would have lead to her finally admitting her feelings for her best friend? The flame had calmed down now, but she was looking forward to the next time it decided to heat up.

/

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Please leave a review, it truly means the world to me. I don't hate Sally or anything but I always make Amy out to be the villain and I wanted to change it up. Until next time!**

 **-Gemini Mercedes-**


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